The 23rd Meeting of the European Research Group on Experimental Contact Dermatitis ERGECD in Gothenburg June 9-11, 2011

Around one hundred experts from Europe were gathered in Gothenburg in the beginning of June this year to share the latest news in the research on the mechanistic aspects of contact dermatitis. The conference organised by the Centre for Skin Research at the University of Gothenburg (SkinResGU) was the 23rd Meeting of the European Research Group on Experimental Contact Dermatitis (ERGECD).

The ERGECD has been at the centre of developments in non-clinical aspects of contact dermatitis for more than 30 years. In reality, the ERGECD arose as a response to the limited attention paid to scientific and toxicological aspects in clinical meetings on contact dermatitis. So, every 18 months, the ERGECD comes together in open conferences in locations around Europe to explore the latest developments in the science of contact dermatitis, and especially skin allergy, in the understanding of the chemistry of substances that cause this type of allergy and in debate how to translate this knowledge into improved predictive methods.

The conference in June collected experts within cell biology, chemistry, immunology, pharmacology and toxicology from both the academic sphere and from industry. The primary focus was on finding scientifically sound alternative methods to replace the animal tests for prediction of the sensitisation potency of chemicals in contact with the skin. Explaining the chemistry and the mechanism of skin allergy does not mean it is a simple matter to recapitulate all of these things in a predictive animal model, let alone in the test tube. Nevertheless, chemically based and cell based methods are undergoing validation at the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), based in Ispra, Italy. However, further efforts are needed to find alternative ways of predictions. New findings presented in the June conference by the researchers of the SkinResGU using advanced bioimaging techniques demonstrated new detailed knowledge on the mechanism of interactions between haptens and skin proteins and possibly a new way to predict potential skin sensitisers.

The conference in Gothenburg was held in an open and warm atmosphere in tradition with previous ERGECD meetings where researchers can share their latest findings in an informal way with time for discussions and without abstract book. The meetings are also a suitable first place for presentations of PhD students. Next ERGECD meeting will be arranged by Professor Brunhilde Blömeke at the University of Trier in Germany in autumn 2012.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee I would like to thank all the participants for a succesful meeting

Ann-Therese Karlberg
Coordinator

Pictures from the conference

^{Photo: Morgan Carlsson}